Ballast removing machine



Dec. 19, 1950 D. M. PRAYTOR ETAL 2,534,880

BALLAST REMOVING MACHINE Filed Oct. 14, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet l IN V ENTOR. Dennis M Prayror y ltnax keys/14 v TOE/ 7 Q60. 19, #950 PRAYTOR ETAL 2,534,880

BALLAST REMOVING MACHINE Filed Oct. 14, 1946 5 Shee'ES-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

Dnm'; M /v /ar Knox Kers/m'w A770 IVEY D. M. PRAYTOR ET AL BALLASTREMOVING MACHINE Dec. 119, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Oct. 14, 1946Patented Dec. 19, 1950 ,BAIILAST REMOVING 'MACHINE iflennis'Mde-aytor,'Birmingham,nnd -KI10X:.KBlSha,W, Montgomery, Ala.

A pucaeomoeicter 14, 194e,-seriai;1 1o:703;262

This invention relates to a machine for removing ballast mechanicallyfrom Tbs-tween railroad cross ties and has'for an objectithe provisionsof apparatus of the character designatedwwhi-chsshall beadaptedtotravel andtbe-supp'ortedion:onezrail I 'theinewrailbeing laid.in-order tozuseithegadzing machine, it is necessary that:all:'rockiandballast be removed drum between -the cross ities at that locationPOIKBLSE the adzingzmachine cannot operate. .iizfiter ballast :hasremained in a railroad trackiona period ofiyears, andhasbeoomezflmroughlyrpacked idown fit:is :a-very laborious (operationtorizemove itunanuallm-so much so thatitfis iprohibitiveiinccost.kFurthernwhen relaying cross ties, it is necessary to loosen andremovearlaree :portion of the zballast clear gacrossthe iroad -bed w aroundithe {ties :to he memovedzinorder thatzthe :ties =may the pulled out,and new 1 cross ties ,prit fin :their 113187988. Itiis accordingly :a;prime object -.of ourinizention to :provide :a simple and; relativelyinexpensive machine which shall be adapted to travel on one :railonly(Qf the railroad itrank, and which shall include a digging emit adaptedto operate -selectively, in a plurality of positions across the roadbedto strip t-he track-0f iballast.

More particularly, this invention ;is an improvement .on that disclosed-..our zpreviously :fileol application, Serial Number :619 996, filed@ctober Q3, 1945,, nowabandoneidn thatit providesgreater ,fiexi'bilityineoperation, and PI'QVidQSEfQI' zcleaning the upper surfaces of theties :as {the :ballast being removed.

These and other ufeatures of :our :invention are illustrated .in theaccompanying drawings, forming apartof this application, imwhich Fig. 1is,a plan yiewnf'theapparatus withparts broken away at one end;

Elie. 2 is a side elevation thereof :and with the tie brush removed;

Big. 3 is ,-a sectional view taken along the .line .-I-H.III\of :Fig. l;

:3 Qlaims. (or. sr-noe) Figs. etc 8 inclusive are diagrammatic-viewsshowing the apparatus in *various positions;

Fig; 9 is =a-diagrammatic -viewshowing theportions of :therailroa'd roadbed from which i ballast may be removed by 221831118 of our =improvedmachine; and

Fig. 10 is a view in elevation showin the support fonoounterweightsonthe end of the machine.

Referring .now to the drawings for a better understanding :of =ourinventiomzwe show in "Figs. land 2 a railroad bed With-cross ties i tandawith a single rail :Iil mounted 'on thecross ties, itb'eing assumedthat the opposite*rail' l'ras been rernoved ina :relayingoperation. Ourimproved apparatus is shown mounted on the mail ll andcompriseslongitudinal members crane 2i? joined together at their :ends by.meansof cross members l and 155. Tandem, double ifianged, supportingwheels if: and :it are journalled in Similar brackets t9 and :21 securedto the longitudinal members and eatendinedownwardlytherefrom. iittitheend of the frame are handles 22.2 and :for manual propulsion of theapparatus along 'the :rail.

i'Mounted on :the main iframe just described intermediate its ends, is atransverse frame'coinprised of parallel beams E tand'fit jcined togetherintermediate their :ends byicross rinembers "2'7 and -28. 'Eachof the'transverse framez'beams is joined to themain frame,:assshown F'ig.I3=Of the firaW- ing bynneansrof upwardlyiextending-angle brackets:zennd 3 which are joined tofthellongitudin'al frame members !:2 and itsand are connected "to the parallel :beams 0f "the transverse frame bymeans :of bd1ts132 and $313. nt t'ti and's'fi We show additional boltholes in the parallel beams 24 and ".23 "whereby the iframei-may beshifted bodily to the Lleftfrorn1the position shown in 1 and 2 andsecured to the mdin' frame as j ust described. Lateral :braces and L35are scorn looted, in the position shown zinEigs. lzfifid 2 or" Ithedrawings, to'ftheparallel beams 2'4 and I25at39 and '31 and areconnected to the end members l i and 1 5 of the mainframe-at wand Eol-tholes #15 are provided in :the parallel beams :24 and 226 (only onebeingishowm to which ith'e :outer ends of "the braces .31 and 58 areconnected when the transverseirame is shiftedcas iustidessribed. Securedtotheitransversekfraineiisa liiitinglo'op ttwh'ereb-y the apparatus :maybe zpickedzupzand handled by means-of a crane.

:Mounted eon one iBIId 'Of athe transverse frame, on onetside cfthezrail:ltl is-a powerumtiflfillustraite'd :as an internal :combustion engine.Also m'ounted'nn theitransverse iframe, in bearings 48 and4;9,is:a-countershaft fi which is drivenifrom the power unit 41 by meansof a belt 52 and pulleys 53 and 54. A second countershaft 56 is mountedon the transverse frame in bearings 51 and 58 and is driven by means ofa sprocket chain 56 and a relatively small sprocket wheel 6| mounted onthe countershaft and a relatively large sprocket wheel 62 mounted on thecountershaft 56. Multiple V belt pulleys 63 and 64 are mounted on theends of the countershaft' 56.

Mounted on the opposite end of the transverse frame from the power unit41 and on the other side of the rail ll therefrom is a digging unitcomprising a wheel 66 having digging members removably mounted thereon.The digging members 61, as shown in Fig. 2 comprise toothed metalplates. The wheel 66 is mounted on a shaft 68 which in turn isjournalled in bearings 69 and H carried respectively by the parallelbeams 24 and 26. The shaft 68 has mounted thereon multiple V beltpulleys I2 and 13 by means of which the digging unit is driven from thecountershaft 56 by means of belts 14 and 16. Mounted on one end of theshaft 68 is a rotary brush 11 which, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing,overhangs one of the cross ties [0 while the digging unit 66 ispositioned between a pair of other cross ties. The brush 1 serves toremove any ballast from the upper surfaces of the cross ties so thatthey will be in condition for an adzing machine to prepare the uppersurface thereof to receive a tie plate 18. The brush 1! may be adjustedlongitudinally of the shaft 68 to accommodate the spacing of the crossties (0.

At 19 we show a roller mounted alongside the digging unit 66 which isadapted to rest on the rail I la when the rail is in place so that themachine may be moved from place to place when it is not in use. Theroller, as shown in Fig. 1, is mounted on a pipe section 88 bent at thebottom to provide a horizontal portion 8| on which the roller 19 ismounted. A sleeve 82 secured to the beam 26 receives the upper end ofthe pipe section 86. The upper end of the pipe section 80 is providedwith a plurality of holes 83 and the sleeve 84 is provided with a singlehole for receiving an adjusting pin 85 by means of which the position ofthe rollers 19 may be varied. The roller 19 may also serve as a depthgauge when raised to the position shown in Fig. 2, to limit the depth towhich the digging unit will remove the ballast. On the outer end of thetransverse frame we provide handles 86 and 88 by means of which thedigging unit may be held in engagement with the ballast when in use. Thehandles 84 and 85 are mounted on brackets 81 and 88 extending outwardlyfrom the ends of the transverse frame. At 89 we show a support which ishinged at 9! to the bracket 88 and which serves to support the outer endof the unit when it is idle. When in use, support 89 folds upwardly outof the Way. In Fig. of the drawing we show a bracket 92 which extendsoutwardly from the end of the transverse frame adjacent the power unit41 on which one or more weights 93 may be placed to counterbalance thedigging unit 66.

Referring now to Figs. 4 to 8 inclusive, we illustrate the manner ofmounting and use of our improved apparatus when removing ballast fromvarious positions across the road bed, particularly when relaying crossties as well as rails. In

Fig. 4 of the drawing we show the transverse frame shifted from theposition shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing so that the digging unit 66 isdisposed over the center of the road bed and the power unit 41 isdisposed beyond the outeroutlines of the road bed. In this position thedigging unit displaces the ballast from the center of the track. In Fig.5 of the drawing we show the power unit 41 and digging unit 56 disposed,as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing, with the digging unit 66 over theportion of the road bed from which the rail has been removed. In thisposition the digging unit 66 removes the ballast from that portion ofthe road bed beneath the position of the removed rail. In Fig. 6 of thedrawing we show the transverse frame mounted on the main frame as inFig. 4 but with the machine mounted on the opposite rail I la 50 thatthe digging unit 66 is in position to remove the ballast from betweenthe outer ends of the ties I I. This operation may follow directlybehind the replacing of the rail Ha shown in the right hand side of thedrawing, or just ahead of the relaying of cross ties, as the case maybe. In Fig. '7 of the drawing, the transverse frame is shown positionedas in Figs. 2 and 5 of the drawing but with the machine turned around sothat the digging unit 56 is over the left hand rail H, as viewed in thedrawing. This position is assumed after one side of the track has beenrelaid and the track stripped. The operations shown serve to strip theballast from between the other ends of the cross ties II and for thispurpose left hand rail ll, of course, is removed. In Fig. 8 of thedrawing, we show the transverse frame positioned as in Figs. 4 and 6 ofthe drawing but with the machine turned around so as to strip theballast from between the outer ends of the cross ties H.

In Fig. 9 of the drawing we show diagrammatically the pattern of ballastremoval accomplished by the apparatus when positioned as shown in Figs.4 to 8 of the drawing. It will be seen that there are left a pluralityof small ridges at intervals across the road bed which are undisturbedso that there is maintained the original line, surface, and tie spacingof the track. Thus, when one of the cross ties II] is removed and a newcross tie is put in its place, the surface of the seat occupied by theold cross tie will remain the same and the ridges of ballast 90remaining in the road bed serve to position the new cross tie in theexact place from which the old tie was taken.

From the foregoing it will be seen that we have devised an improvedballast removing machine which is simple and sturdy of construction,which operates to eliminate a large amount of arduous manual labor inthe relaying of rail and retimbering of railroad track, and by means ofwhich the ballast may be stripped from a railroad bed quickly andefiiciently.

While we have shown our invention in but one form, it will be obvious tothose skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptibleof various changes and modifications, without departing from the spiritthereof, and we desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall beplaced thereupon as are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

What we claim is:

1. Apparatus for removing ballast from between cross ties in a railroadtrack bed comprising a main frame having tandem supporting wheelsadapted to travel on one rail only of the railroad track, a transverseframe, means to secure the transverse frame in a plurality of positionson the main frame, a rotary digging unit mounted on one end of thetransverse frame in position to enter the spaces between the cross tiesand remove ballast therefrom, a power unit on the other end of thetransverse frame, means to transmit power from the power unit to thedigging unit, manual means for holding the digging unit in engagementwith the ballast to be removed, and a member adjustably secured to thetransverse frame and to limit the depth to which the digging unit willenter between the ties.

2. In apparatus for removing ballast from between the ties of a railroadtrack bed, a main frame comprised of parallel beams, tandem flangedsupporting wheels mounted between the beams and disposed to travel onone rail only of the track, a transverse frame comprised of parallelbeams extending crosswise of the track over the main frame with one endoverhanging one side of said rail and the other end overhanging theother side thereof, mounting brackets on the main frame, means forsecuring the transverse frame to the mounting brackets in a plurality ofpositions, a power unit mounted on one end of the frame, a rotarydigging unit at the other end between the beams of the transverse frameand having digging members thereon adapted to enter the spaces betweenthe ties to remove ballast therefrom and deposit the same at a side ofthe track bed, a shaft for the digging unit journalled in the transverseframe and extending outwardly therefrom, power transmission means fromthe power unit to the shaft, and a rotary brush on one end of the shaftdisposed to remove ballast from the upper surfaces of the cross ties,and deposit it on the same side of the track bed on which the d'ggingunit deposits ballast.

3. In apparatus for removing ballast from between the ties of a railroadtrack bed, a main frame comprised of parallel beams, tandem flangedsupporting wheels, mounted between the beams and disposed to travel onone rail only of the track, a transverse frame comprised of parallelbeams extending crosswise of the track over the main frame with one endoverhanging one side of said rail and the other end overhanging theother side thereof, mounting brackets on the main frame, means forsecuring the transverse frame to the mounting brackets in a plurality ofpositions, a power unit mounted on one end of the transverse frame, arotary digging unit at the other end between the beams of the transverseframe and having digging members thereon adapted to enter the spacesbetween the ties to remove ballast therefrom, a shaft for the diggingunit journalled in the transverse frame and extending outwardlytherefrom, power transmission means from the power unit to the shaft, anadjustable depending arm on the transverse frame alongside the diggingunit, and a roller on the depending arm for engaging the other rail ofthe track when moving from place to place, and disposed when theapparatus is in operation to limit the depth of cut of the digging unit.

, DENNIS M. PRAYTOR.

KNOX KERSHAW.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,798,783 Buettner et a1. Mar.31, 1931 2,416,241 Stratton Feb. 18, 1947 2,463,499 Thornley Mar. 1,1949

